Trinco students to protest against SLA presence around schools

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 16:04 GMT]Trincomalee District Tamil Students Forum (TDTSF) has called Tamil speaking students for a token boycott of classes on Monday in protest to the presence of Sri Lanka Army troops in large number surrounding schools in the Trincomalee town thus violating the ceasefire agreement. Trincomalee has become a garrisoned city following the unlawful erection of Buddha statue, sources said.

TDTSF sources said boycott is confined only to schools functioning at present in the Trincomalee town and not a general shutdown covering other fields.

Since the erection of Buddha statue in the vicinity of Trincomalee central bus stand on May 15, the Sri Lanka Army has deployed large number of troops in the east port town. Troops are seen in every nook and corner of the town conducting cordon and search operation at random, civil sources said.

Soldiers are deployed surrounding several schools including leading institutions such as Trincomalee Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College, Vipulananda College and Vikneswara Maha Vidiyalayam which are located in areas where only Tamils live.

Buddhist flags flutter surrounding the site where the Buddha statue is installed and guarded by soldiers, sources said.